PASADENA, Calif. — Even planets can turn red from exposure to the sun, according to new research from NASA.
Jupiter’s Giant Red Spot, which is as wide as two Earths, is created by sunlight breaking apart simple chemicals in the atmosphere, according to a new data analysis from NASA’s Cassini mission. Previously, researchers theorized that the colored spot came from red chemicals below the clouds.
"Our models suggest most of the Great Red Spot is actually pretty bland in color, beneath the upper cloud layer of reddish material," NASA scientist Kevin Baines said in a statement. "Under the reddish 'sunburn' the clouds are probably whitish or grayish."
Researchers were able to recreate the spot in laboratory experiments, according to NASA. They simulated the sun’s effects by using ultraviolet light on chemicals found on Jupiter, namely ammonia and acetylene gases.
The clouds in the great red spot reach higher altitudes than other areas on Jupiter, according to Baines. The highest layers of Jupiter’s clouds are made of ammonia.
“The team thinks the spot's great heights both enable and enhance the reddening,” the statement from NASA reads. “Its winds transport ammonia ice particles higher into the atmosphere than usual, where they are exposed to much more of the sun's ultraviolet light. In addition, the vortex nature of the spot confines particles, preventing them from escaping. This causes the redness of the spot's cloud tops to increase beyond what might otherwise be expected.”
The findings were presented at the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Science Meeting in Tucson, Arizona.
